Hunt PTO Update 1/28/13

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Burlington School District Mourns the Loss of 
Dr. Dan Balón

January 30, 2013

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our Director of Diversity Education and Engagement, Dan Balón. In the four years Dan has been in the District, he has continually sought to open the hearts and minds of each of us to the differences that exist in our community and celebrating each one. Dan had many hats in his time with us, from Diversity and Equity Director to Recruitment and Retention Director (two full-time jobs that he shared in one position) to father and community leader. He provided deep professional development and worked to build a cadre of champions of diversity over time in the District. His work supporting the District growth through the ECHO Center exhibit Race: Are We So Different?, Diversity Task Force, Courageous Conversations, and most recently, the Equity and Inclusion Data Report will live on.


Dan lived passionately his dream for a world that is equitable and welcoming to everyone, starting with the world he wished to see for his own two lovely children. Now it is our turn to continue to live that passion and that dream. In our sadness, we need to stop and reflect on the richness Dan brought us and build upon it. We need to continue our work toward an equitable and welcoming school district, to honor his name and our students. With bowed head, I hope that you join me in continuing this dream and this passion and that you join me in supporting the work that Dr. Dan Balón has begun with us.

Honor Roll Update  

Several Hunt parents attended a meeting last week with student council representatives, climate committee representatives and Mr. Amato to look at how Hunt celebrates Honor Roll.  The student council conducted a poll among students to find out what they wanted.  Students made it clear that they wanted their families to be invited.  Everyone agreed that it would be great to have a larger celebration one time a year to honor not only academic achievement but other areas of achievement including sports, music, art and citizenship.  

Plans are in the works to have semesters 1 and 2 celebrated on team with families invited in.  Teams would also include other honors like student of the month.  The 3rd, more comprehensive celebration is being planned for the evening, to take place in the auditorium.  This would likely take place in May.  At this point any questions or suggestions can be directed to Vice Principal Ms. Whitmore Selles at lselles@bsdvt.org

The Hunt January newsletter is available online.  
Read on to catch up on all of the news!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0OT5BU2b--4UFRrNDdpcm4zU28/edit?pli=1 

Also check out the NEW Hunt Athletics web page!!

https://sites.google.com/a/bsdvt.org/lyman-c-hunt-middle-school-athletics/

Burlington Schools Safety Survey

January 18, 2013

Following the recent shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Burlington Schools met with the Burlington Police and Fire Departments to revisit our safety protocols and conduct a security audit of our school facilities. In addition to these proactive plans, we are assessing our physical plants and determining necessary changes. We are working to develop a plan for Board consideration.

That is where we would appreciate your help. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey (link below) about the safety and security at your child’s school. Your feedback will help us develop a list of recommendations and improvements in the current school year, along with budgeting for other changes going forward. The survey will remain open until February 1st.

Nothing is more important than our students' safety. Please know that we will do everything we can to ensure their well-being.

http://research.zarca.com/survey.aspx?k=SsQPPWUsQUsPsPsP&lang=0&data=

Pajama Game will be the Hunt musical this spring! 

Pajama Game will be the musical this spring! The Pajama Game is a fun, upbeat musical about a pajama factory  in the 1950's. The performance days will be April 4th (school performance), 5th, and 6th. and practices will be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday beginning February 5th. 

As part of school policy, practices will begin at 3:30. According to Don Wright, our director, they won't go much longer than 5:30.  It's going to be lots of fun, so come try out! Here's the audition information. Students will receive a packet of information from auditions, including a permission slip.

THE PAJAMA GAME AUDITIONS

Tues, Jan 29               

4-4:45              6^th/7^th graders with Ashley for singing in room C-2

4:45-5:45         8^th graders with Ashley for singing in room C-2

                        6^th/7th graders with Don for acting in auditorium

5:45-6:45         8^th graders with Don for acting in auditorium

                        

(8^th graders should snack before arriving at 4:45 as we will not be having dinner during the audition)  

                                                                               

Wed, Jan 30  

                 

3:30-4                 6^th graders with Karen for dance in the auditorium

4-4:30                 7^th graders with Karen for dance in the auditorium

4:30-5                 8^th graders with Karen for dance in the auditorium

SAVE THE DATE AND RESERVE THE SITTER because Saturday, February 16th is the 2nd annual Dance at the St. John's Club in Burlington: a fundraiser for the HMS school play, The Pajama Game.

Last year's dance was a blast, so don't miss out on the fabulous dancing, tasty appetizers, and scrumptious desserts. Adults only invited to this night out!! Cash bar.

Watch for tickets and more information about this great dance in your student's take home packet next week after auditions for The Pajama Game. Contact Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com with questions.

8th Grade Transition Begins

BHS counselors will be at Hunt for an informational meeting with the students on January 31st. Your 8th grader will come home with a course selection sheet with recommendations from their team of teachers for next year classes at the high school. Please review this information with your child. These forms will need to be signed and returned by February 8th.

Information Night for Parents of incoming 9th grade students will happen on Thursday, January 31st, 7:00 pm in the BHS Auditorium. 

For questions please call Mrs. Stergas at 864-8470

Please Join Us For The

6^th Annual Jr. Iron Chef Competition

February 2, 2013

9:00 – 3:30 pm

$3/Individual or $5/Family

Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, Vermont

Jr. Iron Chef is a statewide competition that gives teams of middle and high school students the opportunity to create delicious local dishes and compete for the title of Vermont’s Jr. Iron Chef.

Hunt Middle School’s two teams will be competing in the morning competition starting at 9:00 am and ending at noon with awards.  The event will feature fun activities for the whole family all day long, including chef demonstrations, activities, live entertainment and lots of great samples and information.

Please Join us for...

A Community Learning Conversation:
What Do Our Graduates Need to Succeed?

Sat. Feb 2 | 9:30am-1:00pm | Burlington High School

What skills and knowledge do our young people need to thrive in today's rapidly-changing world?   Please join us for this, the first of an ongoing series of Community Learning Conversations. Together, we will look at some of the ways we are "remodeling" our educational system so that every young person in Winooski and Burlington receives a world-class education. 

Community dialogues brought us to this point, and your input is vital for moving us forward. We will leave the day with a treasure trove of information that will be mined by working groups moving forward. Join us as we express our specific hopes and dreams for the young people in our communities as they prepare for college, career and citizenship.


Agenda:
9:30-10:00am - Welcome Reception, Coffee/Pastries Served
10:00-11:00am - Interactive Panel Discussion
11:15-12:15pm - Small Group Discussion
12:15-12:45pm - Closing
12:45-1:30pm - Lunch Served

Childcare - We will be providing onsite childcare. Please rsvp for childcare to partnershipforchangevt@gmail.com or (802)363-2342.

Transportation - We will be providing shuttle service from O'Brien Community Center leaving at 9:30am and returning at 1:30pm.  Please rsvp to partnershipforchangevt@gmail.com or (802)363-2342.

Dinner & Dialogue at  the Sustainability Academy 

A note from From Kathy Mathis, 

Family- School Partnership Coordinator, BSD

kmathis@bsdvt.org

Dear Families,

I invite you to join Superintendent Collins and myself for dinner and conversation on Monday, February 4th at the Sustainability Academy. 

The agenda is as follows:

5:45- 6:15   Dinner with vegetarian options provided

6:15- 6:25   Welcome - Introductions

6:25- 7:30   

Superintendent Collins talks about the 2013-2014 school budget proposal and gives us information on INLU ( We are entering an agreement with INLU, an online invitation service that can be used for fundraising across the district with no cost to us. INLU would like to show PTOs how it is used. It is already in EES.)

Please RSVP and let me know if you need childcare

We will be using the Community Room at SA. Please use the back door and parking is on North Champlain St.

Feel free to call me with any questions!

Smiles,

Kathy

kmathis@bsdvt.org

Kathy Mathis

Family- School Partnership Coordinator

Burlington School District

(802) 316-0165

Saturday, March 16th at HUNT!

Black tablecloths or material needed

The PTO fundraising team is beginning the work on our next big fundraising event, The Silent Auction and Pancake Breakfast, to be held on 3/16.

We are looking for black tablecloths or material, of any kind or size, to cover 15 silent auction tables. 

These tables will NOT be used for eating and will be returned to you, washed and folded, after the event.

If you have any amount of black fabric or tablecloths at home and are willing to lend it out, 

please contact Gabi Baumann at 660-9189 or gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net.

Our fundraising team checks out the local thrift stores such as the Re-Store and Goodwill weekly for such fabric, but if you see any we missed please contact Gabi at the number or email above.   Thanks in advance.

See you at the Silent Auction 
and Pancake Breakfast! 

Donations for Close Up Washington

Thirteen Hunt Students are raising funds to visit Washington D.C. in April. You can help by making a credit card donation in three easy steps:

1. Click the link below

2 Choose “Sponsor a Student” or “Support School” (bottom in red)

3. Fill in the form with the necessary information (Hunt’s school code is VT002)

Thank-you!

http://www.closeup.org/donors/make-a-donation

Update: The families of Hunt Middle School have collected 2 Full boxes of shoes and they have been mailed to ShoeBox Recycling to be sent to places in the world where recycled shoes are re-used. Keep up the great work!!

Each year, more than 300 million shoes are landfilled; how many of them could have been reused?
It takes more than 200 years for a sneaker to break down naturally in a landfill





Hunt Middle School is partnering with Shoe Box Recycling to recycle paired, wearable shoes. The shoes will be reused for individuals here in the U.S. and throughout the world.





This program provides affordable shoes to those in need such as those suffering from Hurricane Sandy and many others. This will keep used shoes out of the landfill, creating a cleaner and greener planet. Recycling shoes also creates micro-enterprises for individuals throughout the world, fueling local economies here and abroad.   







Shoes We Accept: 










* All paired men’s, women’s and kids shoes that are still usable. That means no holes in the soles and no wet or mildewed pairs. This includes athletic shoes, dress shoes, timberland type work boots, sandals, heels, flats 




Shoes We Don’t Accept: 







* Heavy Winter Boots, Skates, Blades, Flip-Flops, Slippers, Singles, Unusable, and Thrift Store Shoes. 




Where to bring your reused shoes? 




Place your reused shoes in the specially marked box ShoeBox Recycling found in the main lobby of Hunt School.  Questions or for larger pick-ups, contact Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”




Want an easy way to support your PTO that doesn’t require volunteering and won’t cost you a dime? 





Save Box Tops for Education! 

Update: So far HMS has earned more than $180 through this Box tops project!  Please keep the box tops coming!






Here’s how to help:










**Box Tops for Education are on the packages of hundreds of participating products that you probably use every day. All you need to do is cut them off the box they are on, stick them in a baggie, and send them to school with your child. There is a container for the Box Tops in the main office. 










**Did you know that Box Tops are dated and cannot be used if they are past this expiration date?? 








Make yourself a note on your home or electronic calendar to send in those Box Tops!! Saving them is the first step. Sending them in before they expire is the next.








We will be collecting Box Tops all year long, so start saving and sending in your Box Tops today! The collection box will be located in the main office.













Thanks for choosing to support our school by collecting Box Tops!










Sincerely,










Susan Rutherford



Volunteer Coordinator for Box Tops for Education



Hunt Middle School PTO

Save the Date...






January 29 & 30 -- Pajama Game Auditions






January 31 --  Information Night for Parents of incoming 9th  graders, 7pm, BHS Auditorium






February 2nd -- Jr. Iron Chef






February 2nd --  What Do Our Graduates Need to Succeed?                                   







9:30 am - 1 pm; BHS



February 2nd --  Dinner and conversation with Superintendent  Collins at the SA, 5:45 pm 
February 4th -- Dinner with Superintendent Collins at SA
February 16th --  2nd Annual Dance at St. John's